Gambrel



Dec. '23, 1952 D. o. ELLING ET AL GAMBREL Filed Oct. 27, 1947 I N V E N TO R5. 7e/wr' 0. .EH/27g ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAMBREL Delmar 0. Elling and Asa L. Slye, Pattonsburg, Mo.

Application October 27, 1947, Serial No. 782,410

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to slaughtering animals for market and more particularly to apparatus for facilitating such operation, in the form of a gambrel or device for suspending carcasses while butchering takes place.

The most important object of this invention is the provision of a gambrel having as a part thereof a pair of specially formed clamps for grasping the legs of the carcass, thereby supplanting the conventional method of incising the hock and utilizing the tendons thereof to support the animal on the gambrel.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of a gambrel having clamps capable of progressively grasping the animals hock tighter as the same tends to move downwardly by its inherent weight while suspended.

A further object of this invention is to provide clamps of the aforesaid character having ribs so formed and disposed as to not break the animals hide or otherwise injure the hockand yet capable of compensating automatically with shrinkage of the hoek, thereby remaining cperative during all conditions and through any changes of the carcass prior to nal disposition.

Other objects of this invention include the manner in which a pair of plates is used to form the clamps, one being swingable from the other in a vertical arc to accomplish the aforesaid eiiicient holding action; the way in which said swingable plate is yieldably held against the animals hoek; and the manner in which a quickly and easily manually operable actuating means is provided for the clamps.

Othery equally important objects will be made vclear or become apparent during the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a gambrel and leg holding clamp assembly for slaughtered animals made in accordance with our present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged and elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary front eleva tional view similar to Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view thereof.

Fig. 5v is a cross-sectional view taken on line V-'V of Fig.3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary, detailed, cross-sectional 2 butchered by first forming a slit in the animals rear hocks, particularly hogs, exposing the tendon. The gambrel used was then either inserted between the tendon and bone or hooked over the tendon, the latter being sufficient to support the animal when the gambrel was raised to elevate the animal to desired heights for slaughtering and subsequent storing in freezing compartments.

This method is not only slow but requires extra workers. Furthermore, and more important, such hocks, once exposed to dirt and filth, cannot by law be used by the packers as food products. Attempts have been made to overcome these disadvantages but no gambrel has been made that will eifectively support the animal after shrinkage occurs during cooling steps and at the same time not render the hocks unusable for meat products.

In the drawing a support broadly designated by the numeral I0 constitutes an elongated bar having a length substantially the same as the distance between the animals hocks when spread apart the desired distance. A loop l2, welded or otherwise afxed to support I0 midway between its ends extends upwardly for connection with the usual type of elevated track used in slaughter houses.

A pair of clamping assemblies I4 at each end of support I0 are of identical character and include a pair of plates I6 and I3. Each of these plates I6 and I8 is arcuate in cross section as clearly shown in Fig. 4, the plates being in opposed relation and being curved outwardly from each other. The plate I8 is appreciably shorter than the plate I6 and each end of the latter is beveled outwardly as at 22 to facilitate insertion. and removal of the animals hock.

The plate I6 is welded or otherwise secured to support Il] intermediate the ends of its outermost face as at 24 and is disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal edges of support IU. Two pairs of links 26 and 28, and 30 and 32, interconnect the plates I6 and I8.

One end of all the links 26, 28, 30 and 32 is pivotally secured to plate I5 While the opposite ends thereof are pivotally attached to the plate I8. Fig. 6 of the drawing shows clearly the manner of mounting these links and includes a laterally extending embossment 34 pivotally mounted in an opening 36 in the corresponding link 26, 23, 30 or 32. The embossments 34 are each provided with an internally threaded bore for receiving a screw or the like 38, and have a length greater than the thickness of the corresponding link whereby to present clearance when screws 38 are tightly threaded into place.

Links 26 and 28 are substantially parallel as are the links 39 and 32, and are disposed on the plates I6 and I8 to be at an angle as shown in Fig. 2 when the plates I 6 and I 8 are together. A spring 40 interconnects links 26 and 28 intermediate their ends and a spring 42 similarly disposed on links 30 and 32, yieldably maintain plate I8 at one end of its path of travel against plate i6.

A number of transverse, upturned, relatively sharp ribs 44 are formed on the innermost face of the plate I8, while plate I6 has a number of rounded transverse ribs 46 formed on its innermost face, all as is clear in Fig. 5.

Actuating means for the clamp assemblies I4 includes a U-shaped lever- 48, having its bight pivotally secured to the face of support I9 having assemblies I4 thereon by a pair of brackets 58. Each of the legs of lever 48 has an out-turned arm 52 thereon that extends laterally and loosely through an eyelet 58 on the outermost face of the proximal plate I8.

In other words, each plate i8 has an eyelet 54 received by an arm 52 on the lever 48, and each leg of lever i8 projects beyond the corresponding arm 52. to present hand grips 56. As shown in Fig` 4. the support i8 is onset at each end thereof as at 58 to accommodate the clamp assemblies I4 and thereby lend balance to the gambrel.

In operation, the plates I8 are simultaneously moved from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. by grasping either grip 56 and swinging lever 48 outwardly as the same pivots in brackets 59. The two hooks of the animal are placed between the two plates i8 and I8 vand lever 48 released to permit springs 48 and 42 to move plates I8 to grasping relationship with the hooks. The animal may then be suspended by raising support I8 upwardly to a position where loop I2 may be engaged with the elevated track or other support.

The weight of the suspended animal will pull plates 8 toward the plates I8 and a tight grip upon the hoek will be elected. Obviously the heavier the particular animal being suspended, the tighter the clamping engagement on the animals hooks. This is accomplished because of the vertically arcuate path of travel imparted to the clamp I8 by the pairs of links 26, 28, 38 and 32.

As the animal tends to move downwardly because of the Weight, the rounded ribs 46 of the stationary plate I8 will permit limited slippage of the hook, thereby causing plate I8 to move closer toward clamp IE and cause the ribs 44 to bite more tightly into the hide and iiesh of the hoek. This is particularly true when the hock begins to shrink, which is usually true when the carcass is conveyed into refrigerators to hang while cooling and prior to nal cutting, curing and packing.

Dislodging of the suspended carcass is also easily accomplished from either end of the gambrel by grasping either of the grips 56 of lever 48.

It is to be noted that the clamping assemblies I4 may be used with supports differing from that shown at IB, and also, actuating means dilerent from lever i8 may be utilized if desired. It is for this reason that springs 48 and i2 are shown on the clamp assemblies. I4. In lieu thereof, a

'4 spring or springs may well be disposed interconnecting the lever 48 and the support I0 to yieldably maintain plates I8 biased toward plates I6.

Manifestly, when the gambi-el just described is used, hooks of slaughtered animals will pass all food inspections and considerable savings to those in the slaughtering eld will be experienced. Many advantages in addition to those enumerated above will become apparent to those skilled in the art through employment of the device forming the subject matter hereof, and therefore it is desired to be limited only by the spirit of this invention and scope of the appended claim.

HavingA thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is.:v

In a gambrel for suspending carcasses, a clamp comprising a pair of opposed, elongated, transversely arcuate plates each having gripping means thereon, said plates being movable relatively toward and away from each other and being adapted when apart to receive therebetween a portion of the carcass to be suspended; and means interconnecting said plates for guiding one of the plates through an arcuate path of travel as the same is moved toward and away from the other plate, whereby said gripping means of the plates tightly engage said portion of the carcass as the gambrel is moved to a position for suspending said carcass, said interconnecting means comprising two pairs of links each pivotally joined to each of said plates respectively along the longitudinal edges thereof, the links of each pair being movable into and ut of parallelism, said plates being parallel throughout the relative movement thereof; and means for yieldably maintaining said one plate biased toward said other plate, said yieldable means comprising at least one spring interconnecting the links of one pair thereof, the said gripping means comprising a plurality of elongated transverse ribs on proximal faces respectively of said ribs being longitudinally arcuate and conforming arcuately with said plates, presenting an elongated oval space therebetween. DELMAR O. ELLING. ASA L. SLYE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES` PATENTS Number Name Date 801,377 Hardesty Oct. 10, 1905 846,157 Stephens Mar. 5, 1907 988,587 Morse Apr. 4, 1911 1,044,060 Lace Nov. 12, 1912 1,107,467 Walsh Aug. 18, 1914 1,148,681 Hoogenwoning Aug. 3, 1915 1,184,106 Klein May 23, 1916 1,289,995 Wrage Dec. 3l, 1918 1,412,201 Westerhaus Apr. 11, 1922 1,695,138 Brainard Dec. 11, 1928 1,758,526 Lewis May 13, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 747,884 France Apr. 4, 1933 

